I’m sure that you are all well aware of the ongoing debate regards Glenavon player-manager Gary Hamilton, and his eligibility or otherwise when he turned out for the Lurgan club in a match at the Oval on 8th November 2014.

Briefly, the Glens had contested that Gary, who played a major part in Glenavon’s 4-2 win that day, should in fact not have been playing, as he should have been serving a one match ban.

An appeal was subsequently submitted to the IFA in an effort to have the result declared null and void, and as IFA rules clearly state, Glentoran FC then be awarded the points and a 3-0 win.

On 9th December the IFA Appeals Committee agreed with the Glens and confirmed that Gary should not have played in the game, as he should indeed have been serving a ban, but then bizarrely went on to disregard their own rules and decree that the result would still stand!

A further appeal against that decision was made to the Northern Ireland Football League (NIFL), who then met on 17th December only to decide that they “could not overrule the original IFA verdict.”

The club are quite rightly shocked and angered at this ridiculous decision and situation, and we as supporters are left totally exasperated as to what appears a total lack of application and accountability within the ruling powers of the local game.

The only avenue left open to the club at this stage is to submit the matter to Sports Arbitration UK, who will now listen to representation from both Glentoran and the IFA before hopefully reaching the right conclusion. But unfortunately this service does not come for free.

A down payment of £300 has already been submitted to lodge the appeal, but crucially, should the Glens then lose the decision, they must foot the final bill – likely to be upwards of £6,000. Given the financial plight of the club, that must have been a major factor in deciding to take the matter further.

However, Glentoran Community Trust are delighted that the club have decided to proceed, failure to pursue this due to financial constraints, would not only have raised major doubts as to the credibility of Glentoran Football Club, but also served as a total capitulation in the face of inconceivable arrogance and injustice.

Sometimes you have to draw a line in the sand and stand up for what is right, the club may have gone through some very difficult times of late, but we are still Glentoran, a club with a rich history, and considerable integrity and pride. Affordability concerns should not come into this, nor should it distract our board from more important matters at this crucial stage of the season.

To that end, Glentoran Community Trust have yesterday submitted a cheque for the sum of £300 to cover initial appeal costs, and have undertaken to foot the entire £6,000 bill should Glentoran FC lose the Arbitrators decision.

As some of you may know on Monday 15th December I’m back home in Belfast to play a very special gig in aid of my football team Glentoran. The Glens have been playing football in east Belfast for 132 years now, we’ve been through the best of times and the worst of times down through the decades and whilst it’s hard to help out as much as I would like to when I’m thousands of miles away most of the time, I’m doing a show that night to help raise much needed funds which in turn goes to help keep the club’s heart beating.

Ticket sales have been superb. We’ve done this sort of thing before with the help of my mates in the Glentoran Community Trust. The gig is again my old local The Elk Inn in Dundonald and it’s always been an unforgettable night.

But this time we’ve come up with a unique idea to help with the fundraising.

For the gig on the 15th I’m wearing my Glentoran shirt, but this ain’t no ordinary football shirt. Thanks to Terry, Sam, Cliff and all my great friends at Kukri Sports official kit supplier to Glentoran F.C. I’ll be wearing a complete “one off” special edition jerse

Instead of the normal sponsors, I’m taking the stage in a shirt carrying the artwork from the three bands that I’ve had the honour to front over thirty years in the music industry.

Black Star Riders, The Almighty and Thin Lizzy are all on there, on this very, very special Glentoran shirt………there is no other like it, but, check this out, we are auctioning off on the night.

So between now and the end of the gig of the 15th December you can bid to win my shirt “Warwick” number 9.

I’ll sign it for the winner if he or she wants? Bids will keep rolling up until the last song of the evening, with updates as to the highest bid appearing on my facebook page on the night.

So if you’d like to get your hands on the shirt off my back, here’s how to get the ball rolling…

TO PLACE A BID YOU MUST EMAIL info@gctni.com WITH YOUR NAME, ADDRESS AND OF COURSE YOUR BID.
BIDDING WILL BE UPDATED HERE AS THEY ARE MADE, RIGHT UP TO THE LAST SONG OF THE SET ON THE 15TH.

The Vienna Cup Centenary Dinner is just 10 days away now, and we have some 150 of you already booked for the Gala Event. But we’d love to have as many as possible there to enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity, and to that end we are giving people one last chance to grab a seat.

Tickets can still be purchased for £45, but remember folks, we are selling this event at COST PRICE, and look what you are getting for your money…

FREE wine reception on arrival.

4-course Fillet Steak dinner, taken from the 1st class menu on RMS Titanic.

The Vienna Cup story, narrated by Belfast actor and playwright Dan Gordon, seen through the eyes of Glentoran player and goalscorer Sammy Napier as he sets off on “The Most Remarkable Of Adventures”.

Photo opportunities with all 3 pieces of silverware held by Glentoran FC at the time … The Irish Cup (original, courtesy of Irish FA) – The City Cup (now League Cup, courtesy of Cliftonville FC) - and of course The Vienna Cup!

10-piece Big Band experience

The Swing Gals

… and all taking place in the majestic setting of Great Hall at Belfast City Hall

click to enlarge

We can now also confirm that Belfast City Council have kindly agreed to light up Belfast City Hall in Glentoran colours for the night, whilst UTV have confirmed they will be doing an extended feature on the Glens achievements of 1914, and will have cameras recording at the event!

We will also be unveiling the ‘Vienna Cup’ Programme, and announcing the winner of our Vienna Cup Shirt Auction, with the oldest living Glentoran player Bertie Wright, a guest at the Dinner, penning the final signature… just 2 days after his 95th birthday!

So there you have it folks, surely a night not to be missed, give us a shout via info@gctni.com, or contact a Board member directly if you want to be a part of it …

The GCT are producing a ‘limited edition’ Programme for the Vienna Cup Centenary Celebration at Belfast City Hall on November 1st.

The 32-page, full colour, A4 Programmes are a fantastic read, a journey back through time to 100 years ago when Glentoran Football Club confounded the football elite of eastern Europe to lift the Vienna Cup.

The quality and content of this production is superb, and with only 300 being produced it’s sure to become a must-have for any serious collector.

We will soon be making them available to purchase online for those of you unable to attend the 100th Anniversary Dinner, so please keep an eye on the website and other social media for further details…

In the recent photoshoot we did for the Vienna Cup Shirts we had Elliott Morris and Kym Nelson modelling, Elliott wore the keepers jersey with “Morris” on the back, whilst Kym wore the green outfield strip (pictured right). The name on the back of Kym’s shirt was “Lindsay”, and it carries the number 14.

The Lindsay brothers played for Glentoran in the 1914 Irish Cup Final against Linfield, and scored the winning goals which ultimately took the Glens to Vienna as winners!

We’ve received a few enquiries re the Dinner Menu on Vienna Cup night – just to confirm…

The meal will be a 4 course “SET MENU” taken directly from the First Class Dinner Menu on RMS Titanic.

However, on the night there will be a vegetarian option, and limited options for each of the other courses – there will NOT be a full kitchen.

So in the interim, if anyone has a genuine concern or health issues with any of
the menu below, we would ask that you contact us at info@gctni.com by Saturday 11th October and our caterers will do their very best to accommodate.

Invitations have now been emailed for THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF GLENTORAN COMMUNITY TRUST, which will take place on MONDAY 13th OCTOBER 2014 at 7.30PM, in THE McCLEANS SUITE – THE OVAL.

We are delighted to announce that Glentoran Director of Football Roy Coyle has agreed to attend for a short question & answer session, and of course Glentoran Chairman and fellow GCT member Stephen Henderson will also be there.A complete update on the financial position of the Trust will be provided on the evening, and there will be an opportunity to renew memberships (1st July 2014-15), or make a donation to the Trust. If you are unable to attend you may also renew your membership online via the Paypal link at the Join/Renew page above.

The AGM will also afford members an opportunity to raise all issues that you feel may be of consequence to the Trust, and be brought up to date on all current and future projects by the GCT.

We would encourage all members to make an effort to attend, this is your Trust, please come along and have your say.

…………………………………………………………

** NOTE – THIS IS NOT AN OPEN PUBLIC MEETING – YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF GLENTORAN COMMUNITY TRUST TO ATTEND (YOU MAY ALSO JOIN ON THE NIGHT)